Pneumatic signal apparatus



Nov. 25, 1924. 1,516,963

J. G. HARROLD PNEUMATIC SIGNAL APPARATUS Filed April 14, 1922 Sheets-Sheet 1 j INVENTOR.

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A TTORNEY.

Nov. 25, 1924- J. G. HARROLQ PNEUMATIC SIGNAL APPARATUS Filed April l4 1922 2 Sheats-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. L/ OH/Y CZ fl'rq/z/cuo.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 25, 1924.

UNITED STATES JOHN G. EAR-BOLD, OF QUINCY, MASSACH USETTS.

PNEUMATIC SIGNAL AlPAR-ATUS.

Application filed April 14, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN Gr. HARROLD, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Quincy, Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Signal Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improved apparatus whereby signals may be transmitted from a remote point. The apparatus while applicable to many uses is particularly designed for use in connection with a rivet deliverv apparatus such as described in my co-pending application Ser. No. 505,784, filed Octobero, 1921.

The delivery apparatus is adapted for feeding rivets from a sending station, for example, in proximity to a heating forge to one or more receiving stations located at remote points where the rivet work is to be done. It is often desirable to have the heating forge and the sending station in such a location that it is out of the range of the vision or hearing of the operators at the receiving stations. It is, therefore. advantageous to provide a signal located in juxtaposition to the sending station whereby the workmen at the remote receiving stations can signal the sending operator. To these ends I have provided a pneumatically actuated signal which is connected by suitable flexible tubing'to valves adapted to be operated by the workmen at the receiving station or stations.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic view, showing the general arrangement of an apparatus consisting of a sending station including two delivery units andtwo receiving stations located at remote points;

Fig. EZ'is an enlarged view of one t'orm of signal and the valve for controlling the same;

l ig. 3 is a view of a modified form of signal;

Fig. 4 is a detail of a vent valve such as located at the receiving stations;

Fig. 5 is a side view of one of the delivery units; Y

l i r. 6 is a section on line 6.6 thereof.

Referring first to Fig.1, A is a sending station at which are located a plurality of delivery units 10. There are two such units shown in the drawing but it is understood that in practice there will often be many Serial No. 552,625.

and C represent receivin stations to which 33 the rivets or other articles are fed. S isa signal which. is located in uxtaposition to the delivery units 10 at the sending station Valves V and V are located at the re ceiving station B and b and are connected by flexible pipes P and P through-a branch P which in turn is connected by a pipe P to the signal S.

The arrangement is such that Wheneither of the valves V and V are actuate-d, they vent air in the pipes P and P and by means hereinafter described cause the" signal to be operated. The signal 5 maybe of any desired character. Audiblesignals in the form of a whistle and a bell are herein shown, although it is to be understood that if desirable a visual or other type of signal may be employed.

The delivery apparatus can be of any suitable type but is preferably of the form shown in the co-pending application above referred to wherein the rivets are introduced to a hopper-like receptacle 10 having a hook 11 thereon which is adapted to en gage a bar 12 or any suitable fixed support such as an edge of the heating forge. The rivets to be conveyed pass through a delivery pipe 18 the internal diameter of which is slightly greater than the head of the'rivet 14. The top of the receptacle is formed with an opening 16 adapted to be closed from the inside by a door'17 hinged at 18. This door is adapted to normally hang down as in Fig. 5 when there is no pressure in the receptacle and it easily swings shut when the pressure is admitted. A pipe 19 is connected with a. reservoir or other source of fluid sup'plyR and delivers fluid under pressure to'a suitableair inlet device comprising a valve casing QO-carried by a nipple 21 having ayalve 22 slidab le therein and adapted to"be. actuatedlbyf a stem 23 which is connected to lever g pivoted at 25 to a suitable 'fixzed bra-cket. Means are provided for rg:gulating the amount of air supply andalsot'oi shutting oil" the supply when the article me -ruelivered from the pipe 13.

The means comprises a chamber or casing 27 which opens into the receptacle and is provided with a piston 28 connected by a piston rod 29 with the lever 24. The ball 30 forms a convenient and simple rockingconnection between the piston and the piston rod. The spring 31 yieldingly holds the piston normally down and the spring may be adjusted, and consequently the opening of the valve may be regulated, as by a screw 32 against which the spring abuts through the medium of the backing plate 33.

IVith the parts disposed as in Fig. the receptacle is open and the air is shut off. The operator at the forge drops a rivet through the opening 16 and the rivet drops to the position at 14 in Fig. 1. The swinging handle 24 is then pushed down, which opens the valve 22 and air under pressure from the pipe 19 enters the receptacle and slams the door 17 shut and the air under pressure then pushes the rivet through the delivery pipe. When the valve 22 was opened the piston 28 was pulled up to compress the spring 31 and the piston is held up by air pressure within the receptacle as soon as the door 17 is shut.

When the rivet emerges from the pipe 13 this channel is open for air under pressure and this causes such a reduction of pressure within the receptacle that the spring 31 pushes the piston 29 down, and conse quently the lever 24, and this in turn shuts the valve 22. The air is now entirely shut ofl The door 17 is also open, since it drops down when the air pressure is released. by the emerging of the rivet from the delivery pipe, and is a signal to the operator at the forge that the rivet is delivered and another can be deposited in the receptacle.

A failure of the door to open shows that there is a stoppage in. the pipe and thus prevents the placing of more than one rivet in I the pipe.

The signal illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 is an audible one and comprises a whistle 34 secured to a flange 35 of a valve casing 36. A vertical port 37 is formed in the valve casing and is adapted to be normally closed by a piston 38 which is slidable within a chamber 39 formed in said casing. The piston 39 is normally held against a. stop 41 in the position shown in Fig. 2, by means of a light spring 40. This piston is formed with a restricted passage 42 which permits the fluid from the pipe 19 to How through ea pipe 43 and'into the pipes P P and P When the pressure in these pipes is reduced .by-opening either of the vent valves V or V the piston 38 will be moved tothe right, as in Fig. 2, against the action of the spring 40 and thus permit the fluid to escape through the port 37 and sound the whistle or operate any other suitable sort of signal as. may be desired.

The vent valves V and V may be of any suitable design and if desirable may be arranged to give an alarm when the pressure in the pipes P or P exceeds a predetermined point. I have illustrated in Fig. 4, however, a valve adapted to be manually operated so as to vent pressure and cause form of audible signal comprising a bell 50 carried by a suitable supporting arm 51 secured to the valve casing 36 A plunger 52 is slidably mounted in a chamber 37* formed in the valve casing. This plunger is adapted to be lifted by air pressure against the action of a spring 53 when the piston 38 is moved to the right. The plunger52 is connected with a reciprocating rod having rack teeth 54 thereon which engage a ratchet 55 to which is suitably secured a plurality of strikers 56. It is apparent that when the plunger 52 is lifted the strikers will rotate and cause the bell to ring, and that the spring 53 will restore the bar to normal position after each operation.

From the foregoing it will be understoodthat an operator at. either of the receiving stations B or C can by actuation of the vent valve V or V cause the signal S to operate.

A prearranged code can be used so that the V operators at the receiving station can signal, for example, that the rivets are coming either too slowly or too rapidly or that rivets of different sizes or difierent kinds, such as round head or countersink head rivets are desired.

I may employ one signal S at a sending station which is provided with a multiplicity of delivery units 10 or I may provide sepa rate signals for each delivery unit, each signal having individual characteristics of its own so as to enable the sender to identify a slgnal with an operator in a given location.

Though I have described with great particularity of detail the construction of the apparatus herein shown it is not to be construed that I am limited thereto as changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus of the class described including a fluid supply, a valve casing connected thereto, a signal whistle connected to said valve casing, a movable piston in said valve casing to control the operation of said whistle and a manually operated vent valve located at point remote from the signal Whistle and adapted to be operated to reduce the pressure on one side of said piston to cause a signal to be given by said Whistle.

2. An apparatus of the class described including a fluid supply, a valve casing connected thereto, a Whistle connected to said valve casing, a movable piston arranged to normally prevent the escape of fluid from said supply through said Whistle and a manually operated vent valve located at a point remote from said whistle adapted to reduce the pressure on one side of said piston to permit the movement thereof and cause the Whistle to be sounded.

3. In combination a delivery apparatus and a signal apparatus including a fluid pressure supply, a receptacle having a delivery pipe to receive and transmit an article, an air inlet valve connected to said supply, means for opening the valve, retaining means operable by pressure from Within the receptacle for holding the valve open, and a door on the receptacle normally open and closed by pressure from Within the receptacle, a signal operatively connected to said fluid pressure supply located in juxtaposition to said receptacle and means located at a remote point for manually controlling the operation of said signal.

4:. In combination a delivery apparatus and a signal apparatus including a receptacle having a delivery pipe to receive and transmit an article, an air inlet valve, means for opening the valve, retaining means operable by pressure from Within the receptacle for holding the valve open, and a door on the receptacle normally open and closed by pressure from Within the receptacle, a fiuid supply connected to said valve, a signal located in juxtaposition to said receptacle, a valve connected to said fluid supply and having a movable piston therein to control the operation of said signal and means for reducing the pressure on one side of said piston to cause a signal to be given.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

JOHN G. HARROLD. 

